Blair takes down Kennedy but is pinned by Paint Branch

DEC 14, PAINT BRANCH HIGH SCHOOL-

The Blair wrestlers took on both Kennedy and Paint Branch high schools in a tri-meet on Dec 14. The Blazers received mixed results, racking up both a win and a loss.

Blair undertook Kennedy High School first, narrowly winning with a score of 42-34. Despite Kennedy's poor reputation as one of the weakest wrestling teams in the county, they put up a valiant fight, and the outcome came down to a pin and a decision. Kennedy was a tough challenge, and had the effect of wearing down Blair, so that the Blazers were not up to full strength for the county champ Paint Branch.

Paint Branch High School stomped out Blair's hopes of gaining back the loss to Walter Johnson. Blair scored only in three of the 14 weight classes, with a pin in the 172 slot, and decisions in the 112 and heavyweight slots. In the end, Paint Branch pummeled Blair 61-12.

Blair Coach Jacob Scott said that the wrestling team performed poorly against Paint Branch because it was difficult to get ready for the second match. "We went against Paint Branch, the best team in the county, right after one of the worst in the county, so it was hard to prepare."

Despite the lackluster start of the season, Scott said the "wresting team is…improving." Along the course of the season, both varsity and JV wrestlers have gained skill, and already appear to have more confidence and know-how than they did against WJ. "We have very minimal experience, but we're improving rapidly," insisted Scott.

In addition, the holes in the line-up are being filled one-by-one. Senior Mohammed Bah has stepped up from JV to occupy the 145 weight class, and junior Michael Hayes has joined the team, filling the 215 slot. The 103 weight class is the only slot that remains unclaimed.

Although Blair now has two losses – just as many as the team received during the entire season last year – the wrestling team expects much better results in the future.

The next wrestling match will be held on Wednesday, Dec 18 at Blair. This will be the first match in their own gym of the season.